Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders to meet Tuesday

Veteran defensive back Charles Woodson is slated to meet with the Raiders on Tuesday, and Raiders coach Dennis Allen said he is hopeful of bringing back the player that once starred in a silver and black uniform.

"I want to do anything we can to help this team get better," Allen said Monday. "So, we'll see how that process goes."

The Raiders reportedly already made an initial offer to Woodson, 36. The 49ers and Denver Broncos are the only two teams that Woodson has met with since he was released by the Green Bay Packers.

Woodson told the Maize and Blue News that he is open to finishing his career with the team that selected him with the fourth pick of the 1998 NFL draft out of Michigan.

"It would be a really big thing to go back to Oakland being that I played there really most of my career," Woodson said.

Woodson spent his first eight seasons with the Raiders. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and spent the past seven seasons there.

"I spent most of my career in Oakland and I still have a lot of friends there," Woodson said. "I still know people in the organization. It would be a homecoming of sorts if it were to happen. So, we'll see."

The Raiders are in need of a replacement for released free safety Michael Huff. For now, Brandian Ross and Usama Young are the leading candidates to take over for Huff.

Signing Woodson would give the Raiders a proven player to pair up with veteran strong safety Tyvon Branch on the back end of their retooled defense.

Advertisement

Woodson earlier this offseason said he wanted to sign with a legitimate Super Bowl contender. He since has backed off that hard-line stance as a result of a dearth of offers.

Last week, Woodson left Denver without receiving a contract offer. As of now, he said he isn't sure how things are going to play out.

"I don't have any idea, really," Woodson said. "I plan on playing. I have a visit set up this week with the Oakland Raiders, so I'll go out there and sit down with the coaching staff, GM and all of that, and we'll figure it out from there."

Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn spent four seasons with Woodson in Green Bay. He said he's eager to see how things play out in terms of the pursuit of Woodson.

"Everybody knows he's a great player, but he's also a great man, a great teammate, great leader," Flynn said. "The front office, Reggie (McKenzie, general manager) and them, are going to make the right decision (about) what they think is going to be best for us going forward."